Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and unexpectedly mentioned that Azerbaijan had regained its sovereign territories. Therefore, Russia had not taken any military action under the collective security agreement, as was reported by Interfax Russia.
According to Putin, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was complicated, and Russia proceeded from the fact that the balance of power must be maintained. He explained that the assistance to Armenia could not be provided under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) as Azerbaijan did not encroach on Armenian territory.
"Armenia did not recognize the independence and sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh, which meant, according to international law, that Nagorno-Karabakh and all its adjacent areas were an integral part of the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The CSTO Treaty on Collective Security provides mutual assistance only in case of aggression against the territories of the country party to this agreement,” Putin said.
Notably, Russia has demonstrated the opposite position in Ukraine. In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The annexation of Crimea is not recognized by the UN General Assembly, the PACE, the OSCE, PA, and contradicts the Venice Commission. However, Russia interpreted the annexation as "the return of Crimea to Russia". According to the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime in the Temporarily Occupied Territory of Ukraine", the territory of the Crimean Peninsula is considered to be a temporarily occupied territory due to the act of Russian aggression.